The School of Essential Ingredients

By: Erica Bauermeister

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell

Length: 6 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

From the author of Reese Witherspoon's Book Club pick The Scent Keeper comes a “heartbreakingly delicious” national best seller about a chef, her students, and the evocative lessons that food teaches about life.

Once a month on a Monday night, eight students gather in Lillian's restaurant for a cooking class. Among them is Claire, a young woman coming to terms with her new identity as a mother; Tom, a lawyer whose life has been overturned by loss; Antonia, an Italian kitchen designer adapting to life in America; and Carl and Helen, a long-married couple whose union contains surprises the rest of the class would never suspect. The students have come to learn the art behind Lillian's soulful dishes, but it soon becomes clear that each seeks a recipe for something beyond the kitchen. And soon they are transformed by the aromas, flavors, and textures of what they create...

©2008 Erica Baurmeister (P)2008 Penguin

Loved it

Not what I expected and that's what made it great. Loved it a lot! :0)

Beautiful

Started slow, almost stopped listening, but so happy I didn’t give up. Beautiful characters. Loved it!

Yummy!

A feast for literary and culinary senses! I wasn't ready for it to end! ❤

Do Not Miss!!!

This is delightful.... whether you are a cook or just thinking about that as a possibility....or you just like to eat!

Lovely book

Enjoyable to listen to. Beautifully performed. Heartfelt back stories that give you all the feels.

Outstanding story on cooking, life, and love.

Recently, I mentioned that Cassandra Campbell was fast becoming one of my favorite narrators for audio books. There is an atmosphere her voice creates, light and humorous (as in Very, Valentine) or mournful and haunting (as in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks). It's always perfect for the story. So when Sandy at You've GOTTA Read This! commented that I should pick up The School of Essential Ingredients, I did. When it comes to audio, Sandy's an exceptional guide.

I'm never going to get tired of books about cooking food and living life. I love it. The connection of recipes, knowing which spice should go with which dish, and how that translates back to relationships, loss, and love, will fit the bill for me every time, and this story did not disappoint.

The story is told by the eight students taking a cooking class on Monday evenings, their personal stories and memories meaningfully unfolding for the listener. There is humor, tragedy, sadness, loss, and newly found love. Usually, when there are more than three or four characters sharing their stories, it can become overwhelming or confusing, or one character may be completely uninteresting, but not so with this story. All of the characters contributed a significant part of their lives, and not one was overdone, or wasted, or skipped over. It all fit.

At the heart of it is Lillian, the instructor and owner of the restaurant where the classes are held. She, too, has a quietly compelling story, one that has shaped her with whom she has become. She was an exceptional character, the rock of knowledge for each of the students, quickly learning what they needed to be taught. She is what kept them moving forward, both in their cooking skills and in life.

Erica Bauermeister's novel was released in 2009, and the story has such a sophisticated style that it's surprising it was a debut novel. It's a story that will make you cry and laugh, but most importantly, it will remind you that living is about the here and now, and that while mistakes happen, the choice to never let a moment pass you by is clear. Love, and be loved, and do so with integrity and kindness.

While the school deals with the essential ingredients of cooking, it is by far the fundamental elements of living that are the most important lesson to be learned. I cannot wait to read (or listen to) Joy for Beginners which was released in June 2011.

I did not want it to end

What a lovely story with great descriptions, I am thinking of food differently..Can't wait to read more from this author.

A listening pleasure!

I absolutely loved listening to The School of Essential Ingredients. Every portion of the book, was an absolutely pleasure, and a reminder to slow down, and enjoy the simple things in life. My only disappointment was when the book came to an end. I wanted more! .i savored every moment, and will start at the beginning, and listen a second time. I highly recommend it!

Enjoyed feeling like I knew the characters

This was a great story and performed well. I really felt like I knew the characters. Looking forward to the next book.

Excellent

As an exuberant home cook I loved all the descriptions of food in this book and the sensitivity it brought to the story.